The
Council of Trent in its 23rd session decreed the establishment of diocesan seminaries. The
Roman Seminary was established by
Pope Pius IV in 1565. Although its administration was entrusted to the
Society of Jesus, and the pupils studied at the
Collegio Romano, founded by
Ignatius of Loyola in 1551, these students were intended to serve as diocesan priests in Rome, rather than join the Jesuits. Over the course of time the Roman Seminary occupied a number of different locations. The residence was changed several times before 1608, when they settled in the
Palazzo Borromeo in the Via del Seminario (now 'Collegio Bellarmino', a residence for Jesuit priests, students at the Gregorian University). Each year, at
Pentecost, a student delivered a discourse on the Holy Ghost in the papal chapel. Fathers
Vincenzo Fagiolo and
Pietro Palazzini, vice-rector of the seminary, were recognized by Yad Vashem for their efforts to assistance Jews. On 28 October 1958, the election of Angelo Roncalli, a former pupil of the Roman Seminary, as
Pope John XXIII was a source of joy for the seminary community.
John XXIII expressed his appreciation and support for the Seminary by visiting it on 27 November 1958, just one month after his election as Pope. In 2013 the enrollment was seventy seminarians. The course of study is six years. The first two years correspond to philosophy studies oriented to self-understanding and discernment, and to understanding the self and the vocation. In the third year the seminarian takes the formal decision to enter Orders. In the remaining three years (lectorate, acolythate, diaconate) the role of the pastor is gradually emphasized. Twice a week students participate in pastoral activities in Rome in parishes, hospitals, prisons, and centers of assistance. ==Our Lady of Trust==